Is there an animal in my garage?
Question:i keep my garbage in the garage and i've noticed the past day or so that there is trash and food scraps just outside the bag. i keep my garbage there along with my items that will be recycled, a few boxes with misc items. i mentioned it to my hubby the first time i noticed but he really didn't respond. i worry though because sometimes my son plays in there and i do laundry in there. what should i do? (i remember last year there was a skunk in there and he got out as soon as i opened the garage door. that was a scary surprise at 2 am when i came home from a night of drinking.)
Answers:
It sounds as if you may have an animal that gets in, probably a mouse or rat, but possibly a cat or raccoon. I suggest that you get a garbage can, plastic with a locking lid will work well, but a metal can with lid is even better and worth the cost. Second, get a spray bottle and fill it with ammonia (like what you'd use for cleaning). Spray the outside of the bag, and around the area where the bag is kept. Many animals do not like the smell of ammonia, and will stay away from it. Next, you will need to find how the animal is getting, such as is the garage door left open all day, or is there possibly a hole in the wall, door, foundation, etc. that the animal is coming through, and make sure that its access point is closed off by either keeping the door shut unless you need to get in or out, or by fxing the hole, etc.
Good luck.
It could be a cat,raccoon,skunk,dog,cat or rat,... I would get a garbage can -a metal one with a lid like at a National Park. Do it soon because the critter will keep coming back for more!
I agree with Willy- get a metal trash can with locking lids, and make sure there is no food available any where else. Animals can open lids or chew through plastic, but they're pretty helpless agianst metal. Once there is no food, it will leave.
You may want to make sure that your garage is sealed.. is there a hole that this animal may be going through to get to your trash?
sort of sounds like something got in there -- I would check around the foundation for any holes --- my guess is it's rats or mice --- my brother has a sort of have a little shed building on his land without a floor -- he usually pounds on the door before entering to scare anything that might be hiding in there ...
You might have a mouse or worse yet a big pack rat
Sometime stray dogs or cats will come to your trash to eat.
you should cover the trash with a heavy piece of wood on top of the trash can.
If you can't afford to buy the trash cans right away you can pour a small amount of bleach over the closed bag, as the animals don't like the smell. We had problems with coons and some other animal, it worked like a charm, no further garbage out of the bag.
maybe its Oscar from Seseme Street looking for his new trash can residency. lol
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